Action Alert: Three Gun Control Bills Introduced in Oregon

Well, it’s that magical time of year when we see a lot of legislation taking place in every state. Today’s special snowflake is Oregon where some genius legislators have brought forth further gun control legislation in one of the strictest gun regulation states out there.

SB 797 aims to close what’s known as the “Charleston Loophole” in reference to Dylann Roof, who reportedly obtained a gun he wasn’t supposed to be able to purchase and used it to kill parishioners in a South Carolina Church.

Most background checks for potential gun buyers come back within the same day, but some take longer so the FBI can further investigate the person’s eligibility.

If the background check doesn’t come back within 3 days, licensed dealers can go ahead and sell the gun anyway, without seeing the FBI’s results.

But under SB 797, they wouldn’t be able to do that any longer. Instead, the customer would either have to wait for the background check to come back, or go to a local law enforcement office to prove they have a clean record.

This legislation would essentially call for stricter background checks, but Roof should not have been able to purchase a gun from any store as the law is currently written. The hypothetical situation presented would only be a hindrance to law-abiding gun owners, since no criminal is going to wait three days and then let law enforcement look into their record to prove that they can purchase a gun. Therefore, this legislation doesn’t exactly close the loophole they claim it does. According to Reuters,

Because of his criminal record, Roof would not have been able to buy a gun from a store. Federally licensed gun dealers are required to run background checks on gun purchasers, and Roof’s pending charges should have turned up as a red flag.

But Roof didn’t need to go to a dealership. According to his uncle, Roof received a .45-caliber pistol from his father in April for his birthday.

No one will deny that the murders carried out by Roof are a tragedy, but this was a seriously disturbed individual. It is both irrational and ignorant to think that criminals will suddenly decide to stop acquiring and misusing guns because a new piece of paper was voted on by legislators whom these criminals have likely never heard of or met. And, for goodness’ sake, we all know what happens when these people meet politicians. It makes significantly more sense to focus on treating mental illness than into making the acquisition of guns more difficult for law-abiding citizens.

The second bill, SB 764, would require anyone seeking a concealed weapons permit to take a written test and prove they know how to operate and shoot a gun.

This one is almost amusing since it is well known that liberals do not care for standardized testing of any sort. However, they’ve somehow decided that a written test is an accurate way to measure whether someone knows how to operate and shoot a gun. It is irrelevant whether someone knows the exact terminology to pass a written test for concealed carry. This is a thinly-veiled attempt to deny concealed carry permits to law-abiding citizens.

SB 868 would let law enforcement take guns away from people convicted of stalking. It would also let concerned family members go to court to try and take guns away from a loved one, if they can prove that loved one is a risk to themselves or others.

Of all three pieces of legislation, SB 868 is perhaps the most frightening. Naturally, no one wants to see a stalker allowed to access a weapon of any sort. Stalking, however, is a serious crime in and of itself. According to Oregon law, this is either a class A misdemeanor or class C felony. There is a very good chance that an offender wouldn’t be allowed to purchase a gun under current law.

The frightening part is the second half, which is clearly the actual intention of this bill. This legislation goes from talking about stalkers to talking about allowing a family member to take a gun away from a loved one if they believe they are a risk to themselves or others. I can’t help but think of all the vindictive ex-wives out there who would just love to make sure their ex-husband can never go hunting again because they decided to claim that they may be a risk to themselves or others. How about the stalker ex-husbands who ensure that their frightened ex-wife can’t have a gun when they show up to beat her and take the kids away?

Additional gun regulation laws do not prevent any crimes committed by someone with a gun. Criminals have repeatedly shown that they will acquire guns illegally, regardless of any legislation put forth. It is simply laziness on the part of the legislators to blame an object like a gun for any violence.

If you are concerned about this legislation, please reach out to the Oregon state senators. You can find their information here.